Rivets, screws, bolts, blind rivets and masonry anchors have long been used as fasteners. Using a nail for mounting an object to a structural wall often cannot provide the necessary weight support. Some of the prior art devices require early preparation of a bore in the structural element (e.g. wall) prior to the use of the device, typically by use of machinery such as a power drill (and more likely a hammer drill or percussion hammer drill in case of masonry). At times a shank element (e.g. steel nail/spike, screw, etc.) is forcefully fixed into the bore and according to alternative solutions, an anchor device is fitted into the bore and with an appropriate screw/bolt/nail is expanded within the bore for fixedly retaining thereof. However, such anchors require pre-drilling of a bore, insertion of the anchor member, and expansion and fastening thereof. In particular this may be a problem when attending to attaching an article to a structure, e.g. a prefabricated wall's stud to a wall. This requires precision drilling also through the stud in coordination with a bore formed in the wall.
Some devices provide self boring/drilling combined with anchoring means.
One type of fastener is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,902,179 to Harker. This anchor discloses a drive-in expansion fastener is provided having a generally cylindrical, hollow body with a tapered end formed from an angular truncation of the body. The body is reinforced by at least one longitudinal rib so as to permit drive-in penetration from the tapered end even if the fastener is formed from plastic materials. The fastener is retained within the wall by at least one pair of hinged flanges which expand circumferentially in response to the threaded insertion of an ordinary screw within the hollow portion of the body. That screw engages an inclined surface within the body to cam the flanges outwardly. The flanges engage the back surface of the wall while a longitudinally slit portion of the body expands within the hole created by drive-in penetration.
Still another type of fasteners comprises a drilling/penetrating means and an anchoring means integrated therewith. U.S. Pat. No. 4,920,833 to Rosenthal discloses a blind setting rivet slidingly joined to a rivet installation tool for rotation therewith for drilling the rivet through walls, panels or components of a member. The rivet includes a shank threadingly joined to a sleeve thereon, the shank having a drilling bit on a forward end thereof. The sleeve has an enlarged flange on a rear end thereof to prevent the sleeve from passing entirely out through the hole formed in the walls, panels or components, and also to prevent the sleeve from rotating upon engagement with the walls, panels or components when the shank is rotated by the tool, thus causing the drilling bit to deform the forward end of the sleeve to form an enlarged collar to capture the sleeve within the hole formed in the walls, panels or components by the drilling bit, where the sleeve joins the walls, panels or components together. The tool has a non-circular opening to receive a non-circular mandrel section of the shank so that the tool can rotate the shank. Preferably, the tool includes a magnet to releasably secure the mandrel section therein, and a spring to eject a broken-off rear shank portion format the tool once the sleeve is deformed. The tool is adapted to be received in a conventional electric drill for rotation thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,166 to Harker discloses an expansion-type wall anchor having a generally hollow body, a nut element, at least one, and preferably two, retention elements and an actuating element. The retention elements are pivotally connected to the nut element and transition from an orientation substantially parallel to the body to an extended position substantially perpendicular to the body once positioned behind a wall in a rearward cavity. At the end of the body opposite the nut element, the body includes an anchor head which is of greater dimension than the remainder of the hollow body. The anchor head is positioned generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the body and secures the body to the exterior surface of the wall. The actuating element is positioned in an opening in the anchor head and extends within the length of the body to engage the nut element. Flanges extending from the anchor head preclude rotation of the anchor once it is embedded in the exterior surface of the wall. In some preferred embodiments, rotation of the actuating element creates a force which is exerted on deformable legs to cause the retention elements to transition from an orientation substantially parallel to the body to an extended position substantially perpendicular to the body. Continued-rotation of the actuating element draws the retention elements into contact with the interior surface of the wall. Once the body is in place, the actuating element can be removed and the anchor body will remain in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,065,918 to Adams discloses a self-drilling rivet for joining two substrate layers has a hollow sleeve member having a circular cylindrical outer surface, a divergently tapered bore, and an outwardly expandable portion. An internal member has a head portion, a threaded shank centered within the bore, and a drilling tip extending from the threaded shank. A wedge member interactive with the threaded shank can be urged by turning force toward the head portion, whereby retaining wings form from the expandable portion, and are brought to bear against one of the substrate layers. It is an object of the invention to provide an anchoring device comprising a bolt integrated with a drilling head and an anchor, to be secured to a structural element in one step, said anchoring device being substantially cheep to manufacture and simple to use.